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Courtesy of Alamogordo Daily News

by Elva K. Ostereich, Associate News Editor

12/17/2008

Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport has installed solar energy cells for the solar photovoltaic array, using the sun to save money.  The arrangement of gathering the solar energy at the airport and connecting to PNM’s energy system will save Alamogordo $400 to $500 a month in electric costs, according to the airport manager Parker Bradley. 

It usually costs about $30,000 a year to run runway lights, the airport beacon and air conditioning at the city-run facility.  The meter is slowed down by using the grid-tie system. The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department provided the project with a $100,000 grant.  The construction and assembly of the system was completed on November 25, 2008.  Everything had to be able to withstand and survive 100-mile an hour winds. 

A daylong seminar of hands-on training was used to educate the airport in the proper usage of this system.  The city Web site will have an on-site monitoring system with its output.  Frank Andozola with PNM said that the Alamogodo airport is the first airport in New Mexico to have a system like this.  It is becoming more common now, according to Jody Karp, a product manager in the solar photovoltaic program at PNM.  There are close to 180 solar hoop-ups to the grid so far this year.  The feds are offering tax benefits so there will even be more people uisng these hook-ups.

“Sacred Power does solar power work all over the state and many of their projects are government run”, Professor Offley from NMSU.  Photovoltaic is relatively expensive.  Mr. Bradley thinks that eventually the whole airport will run on solar energy in the near future with more grants.